Users of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite laptops, including popular Copilot+ PCs models from Microsoft, Dell, and Lenovo, are finding out that their devices don't quite meet the high-end display claims made by manufacturers. Many laptops in this series, such as the Surface Laptop 7 and Dell XPS 13 9345, can't output both 4K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate on external monitors, which contradicts some of the key promises made by Qualcomm.
Discrepancies Between Specs and Reality
Devices like the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 are marketed with support for DisplayPort 1.4a through their USB Type-C ports, theoretically offering a bandwidth capable of handling 4K at 120Hz or even 8K at 30Hz. Users on the Surface subreddit on Reddit highlight the feature/ability is not available.
The same goes for other Snapdragon X Elite laptops, like Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7x and the Dell XPS 13 9345, which are advertised with high-speed USB Type-C ports that should support this functionality.
However, Qualcomm's technical documentation suggests otherwise. While these laptops can display 4K at 120Hz on their internal screens, external display support drops to 4K at just 60Hz. This discrepancy has left users who expected better external monitor performance feeling shortchanged.
Frustrations and Inconsistent Workarounds
For those who have invested in Snapdragon-powered laptops expecting high-refresh-rate output on external monitors, the results have been underwhelming. Some users have attempted to bypass the issue by turning off Display Stream Compression (DSC), a feature designed to reduce the bandwidth needed for high resolutions and refresh rates, but this hasn't been a reliable solution. In most cases, the laptops are stuck at either 4K/60Hz or 1440p/120Hz, far from the advertised capabilities.
PG32UCDM: using Snapdragon X Elite I only get 100hz 4k, or 120hz 1440p. is this a GPU limitation (or some settings I have to move)? I thought USB4 could do 120hz 4k.
byu/nothingspecialva inOLED_Gaming
Tests with the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED monitor, which fully supports DisplayPort 1.4a and has no trouble reaching 4K at 120Hz on other systems, confirmed these limitations across multiple Snapdragon X Elite models. Despite using the correct cables and ports, Snapdragon-powered laptops maxed out at a lower display output than users were led to believe.
Bandwidth Limits and Confusing Specifications
Part of the confusion stems from how Qualcomm and laptop manufacturers communicate the capabilities of their USB Type-C ports. While the Snapdragon X Elite chipsets claim DisplayPort 1.4 support, the external display output behaves more like DisplayPort 1.2, which offers lower bandwidth and is capped at 4K/60Hz. This discrepancy is frustrating for users who expected more from a premium chipset marketed as a competitor to devices like Apple's MacBook Air.
The technical mismatch between what's promised and what's delivered is particularly problematic for those who rely on high-refresh-rate monitors for gaming or professional use. Without the ability to support 4K at 120Hz, Snapdragon X Elite laptops fall short in comparison to their rivals, limiting their appeal for those who need more powerful external display options.
What's unclear is whether this limitation is tied to Qualcomm's Adreno GPU drivers or if it's an inherent hardware issue with the first generation of Snapdragon X Elite laptops. Qualcomm has yet to provide any official statements on whether this issue could be resolved with future updates. For now, users are left guessing if and when their laptops will fully support the features that were initially promised.
Microsoft's Position with Copilot+ PCs
Microsoft is currently tied to this issue with its Copilot+ PCs currently only available using Qualcomm's processor. However, the company says it will introduce Copilot+ support for Intel and AMD processors in November. Pavan Davuluri, leading Windows and devices at Microsoft, confirmed the eligibility of devices with Intel Core Ultra 200V and AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processors for the update starting in November.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite has already caused other problems. I reported on a lack of gaming performance on top titles, despite the specifications of the hardware. Yet, these devices are experiencing notable issues with running many well-known video games, mainly due to their use of Qualcomm chips based on the Arm architecture instead of the more common Intel x86 chips.
